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Healthy habits for the whole family

Healthy habits for the whole family

It is always important to remember that education begins at home; parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and anyone under your household are the ones responsible for the first habits and knowledge of our children. And that knowledge also means cultivating healthy habits that will go with us throughout life. At IBA, we promote the general wellbeing of the community and strengthening families' healthy habits. Introducing healthy foods such as beans, fruits, vegetables and meats that are part of our tradition, will create good habits for the rest of your children's life. And the same happens with exercise, an active child can be a healthy adult. These following tips can help you achieve this:

  • Take the time to eat together. Include traditional and balanced homemade meals that your family likes. Use this opportunity to talk about eating a well-balanced meal that include fruits, vegetables, meats and milk, among others. The idea is that everyone, children and adults, eat the same nutrients.
  • Make mealtime an occasion to communicate, share ideas, talk about concerns, questions and achievements. All members of the family, from the smallest to the older one, can participate.
  • Encourage everybody to participate in the preparation of the meal: the little ones can do simple tasks like washing the vegetables; others (older ones) can be responsible for cutting, another to set the table and so on. Don’t let all the responsibility fall on your shoulders and enjoy activities together.
  • Get all members of your family to drink water. Go slowly, moving away from sodas, prepared or packaged juices. You can start by mixing the juice with water and slowly, everybody will be drinking water.
  • Try to keep your kids away from the TV, computer and video games. This can be difficult but there are certain activities in your community where your children and parents can participate.
  • Think of a physical activity that can turn into a family game and don’t see it as an obligation. A fun group activity can start with something as simple as a walk after eating. You can keep adding more physical activities for the family on weekends as well.
These are changes that can be challenging but not impossible to achieve. They can work for all members of the family. Healthy food and physical activity mean a healthy and strong development and the creation of positive habits that will last a lifetime....